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The Plague of Miserion
The Plague of Miserion was a catastrophic event that occurred in the northwest of the continent of Daeraan in the year 266 RE, said to be a magical plague created by the black dragon Miserion as vengeance for the Wyrmpurge. Over the next two decades, the plague manifested as a violent illness that struck peasants and leaders alike, eventually causing the kingdom of Caldeon, which had existed for nearly a millenium, to fall to ruin. The plague reshaped world politics: the neighboring nation of Davos closed its border, while the wizards of the southern city-state of Phelasterian created the Seared Waste between the Great Sand Sea and Caldeon. All trade with this part of Daeraan ceased for over a century afterwards, while small nation-states rose from the ashes of the collapsed kingdom after the plague's abatement. Symptoms Those afflicted with the plague of Miserion would seem as though afflicted with a bout of indigestion or a mild cold or fever. Then, unmistakable whole-body tremors would begin, accompanied by debilitating fevers. This stage of the illness would typically last one or two days. The second stage of the plague began as areas of the neck, arms, sides and legs would develop blackened sores; the gums would inflame, encouraging the afflicted to expose their teeth and hyperventilate to alleviate the everburning sensation; the eyes would become swollen and bloodshot, giving a crazed countenance. At this time, those afflicted would begin to exhibit hyper-aggression, becoming sensitive to bright light, loud noises, and rapid movements. If disturbed, the infected would attack any non-infected individuals, potentially attempting to spread the malady. After three to seven days, the plague would run its course, leading to death. Transmission Early plague was transmitted from infected to non-infected individuals through the swapping of bodily fluids, with bites being the most common form of transmission. From 266 RE onwards, however, the plague had an airborne component, able to travel from the corpses of infected people to those who breathed in their vicinity. There is no known cause for the very first infections of the plague. Some theories suggest infected animals like rats may have brought the disease from a faraway land; others believe it was a magical, divine or infernal disease unleashed upon the people of Caldeon. The highest medical authorities serving the crown made a link between the dragon Miserion and the plague, earning its name. Timeline In the year 23 RE, the kingdom of Caldeon, led by the Eravias dynasty, undertook a campaign of dragon-hunting known as the Wyrmpurge, eliminating most chromatic dragons from the territory. The only dragon known to have escaped the purge was the black dragon Miserion: the beast tormented the kingdom for years at a time, then would go dormant for several decades. Eventually, in the year 193 RE the kingdom beat back Miserion as it prepared to besiege the capital of Alcanthenos, blasting it with magical fire and forcing it to retreat to the east. Over sixty years passed without a sighting- some more hopeful souls believed the dragon died of its wounds, while others felt it was biding its time for another devastating strike that never came. In 257 RE, a mysterious illness began to affect small villages at the frontiers of Caldeon. Royal healers of the clergy of Mishakal would travel to these villages only to find the dead and their families, with no sign of illness but the accounts of those that remained: worryingly, these incidents crept closer and closer to the capital over time. After the arrival of spring in 266 RE, this illness erupted in various towns and cities all over Caldeon, including in Alcanthenos. As King Encelas III called upon the clergy of Mishakal to curb the spread of the plague, court wizards, clerics, and experts on disease researched its origins. After months of careful study, most experts of the court agreed that the plague had traces of dragon magic in it, and the king immediately put together a task force to find and slay the dragon that had hounded them so long ago: Miserion the Black. This dragon-slaying group made their way to Miserion's lair in 267 RE, travelling to the orcish lands of Orog-Dashur. After a protracted effort, the dragon was slain and its lair incinerated, but this did not abate the spread of the plague. The clergy failed to control it, and in desperation Encelas III empowered plague doctors to take extreme measures to preserve Caldeon. The illness took more and more lives, either through infection, or the collateral damage of rounding up the infected or fire-purging compromised neighborhoods; society began to destabilize. Within a mere decade, the plague of Miserion caused the kingdom of Caldeon to crumble into scattered settlements separated by tracts of wild land that people dared not tread. Category:Broken Realm Category:History Category:Plague of Miserion Category:Caldeon